Toronto man says he has been waiting four months for refund from Fly Jamaica

A Toronto man said he is still waiting for a refund promised to him by Fly Jamaica after a number of their flights were cancelled last year due to a plane crash in Guyana.

Saj Satnoo had purchased a $743 Fly Jamaica plane ticket for his mother in September 2018. Two days before she was set to leave, he received a message from the airline.

“I received an email from the airline stating that the flight had been cancelled and should I wish for a refund, I should contact them. I did so the following day by email,” Satnoo told CTV News Toronto.

Fly Jamaica was forced to cancel many of their flights after a Toronto-bound plane crash-landed in Guyana on Nov. 9, 2018.

The plane, which was transporting 120 passengers to Toronto Pearson International Airport, reported hydraulic failure shortly after it left Cheddi Jagan International Airport in Georgetown, the capital of Guyana.

The airline said that the plane overran the runway and crashed into spiked rumble strips on the ground. Passengers had to exit the plane using an emergency slide.

Six people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Fly Jamaica only had two airplanes in its fleet at the time of the crash.

Satnoo said he was told that the refund would take up to two months to process. Four months later, he still has not received the money.

“I contacted the airline at least six times by phone. I was on hold anywhere from 37 minutes to 76 minutes and three times the airlines hung up the phone on me,” Satnoo said.

CTV News Toronto contacted Fly Jamaica regarding this matter, but has yet to receive a response. The company’s phone mailbox is full and no longer accepting messages.

Satnoo had to buy another ticket for his mother and has contacted his credit card company, the Better Business Bureau and the Canada Transportation Agency to notify them of his situation. He says he is still hopeful he will get his refund, but he will not use Fly Jamaica again.

“I will never deal with this airline again. Ever. I have been mistreated as a consumer.”

Photos

A Fly Jamaica Boeing 757-200 aircraft, which overshot the runway, sits at the northeastern takeoff end of the runway at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, in Georgetown, Guyana, Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. An airline spokesman said the plane, which was on its way to Toronto, reported a hydraulic failure emergency shortly after taking off and returned after less than 20 minutes. Several people were injured. (AP Photo/Adrian Narine)